Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Trust says tourism opportunity missed

By Simon Hendery
Hawkes Bay Today·
26 Nov, 2014 05:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Art Deco Trust general manager Sally Jackson

Art Deco Trust general manager Sally Jackson

The Art Deco Trust says plans for a residential development on Napier's old hilltop hospital site have neglected a major tourism opportunity for the city.

Todd Property Group is seeking permission to build two eight-storey apartment blocks, five standalone homes and 21 terraced houses on the site, which has sweeping views of Ahuriri and Napier's harbour.

The company already has consent to build an eight-lot subdivision and refurbish the former Arohaina Maternity Ward into 26 residential apartments on the other end of the 5ha site, which it acquired in 2010.

On the second and final day of a resource consent hearing yesterday, Art Deco Trust general manager Sally Jackson said while Napier was a "major international heritage tourism destination," the city had neglected the story of how the 1931 earthquake had changed the inner harbour, raising new land that had a significant impact on the city's development.

"The reason why it has been neglected is that since the health board sold the car park at the end of Parade St, there has been nowhere on the hill where a bus could take people to view the panorama over Ahuriri and the inner harbour," she said in a submission to hearings commissioner Mike Garland.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"There is enormous potential for the story of the inner harbour to become a major tourist attraction, and the hospital site is the best place to tell it."

In earlier written submissions, the trust and Historic Places Hawke's Bay had asked for a public viewing platform to be included atop one of the apartment blocks if the project went ahead.

Todd Property's lawyer at the hearing, Chris Simmons, said on Monday the viewing platform proposal was not feasible.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Robert McGregor, heritage officer for the trust and deputy chair of HPHB, said in his submission to the hearing yesterday it "beggars belief that this site will become just another private property, with its huge importance unacknowledged".

But senior council planner Paul O'Shaughnessy, who has recommended the project be approved subject to a lengthy set of conditions, said further discussions would be held with Todd Property about adding "heritage elements" to those conditions to acknowledge the historic significance of the site.

Heritage elements could include the naming of a new street planned for the subdivision, the naming of the two tower blocks and installing in-ground plaques setting out historic information along walkways within the development.

Mr Simmons told the hearing Todd Property acknowledged the heritage associated with the site and had always intended to recognise it.

Discover more

Apartments progressing

19 Nov 04:00 PM

Apartments progressing on Napier Hill

20 Nov 02:48 AM

'Positive effects' from development

24 Nov 06:21 PM

Landmark hotel may be gone by Christmas

09 Dec 05:49 PM

The company's initial resource consent application included plans for a heritage pathway with signs along the southern edge of the property but the application was later modified following discussions with the council and the walkway excluded.

However the company had been considering ways heritage could be incorporated into the design of the development and using historically significant names for the new road and the apartment building names may be suitable ways to "reflect on the site's heritage", he said.

Mr Garland adjourned the hearing yesterday to allow the council and Todd Property to work on finalising the proposed conditions over the next few days. A decision on the consent application is likely before Christmas.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Speed limit to increase on Napier-Taupō state highway next week

16 May 04:10 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

'Flaxmere's time': 150 social homes planned for Hastings suburb

16 May 03:01 AM
Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

Cancer test delayed for over a year — now his business is gone

15 May 06:19 PM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Speed limit to increase on Napier-Taupō state highway next week

Speed limit to increase on Napier-Taupō state highway next week

16 May 04:10 AM

The limit was cut to 80km/h in February 2022. Now it's going back to 100km/h.

'Flaxmere's time': 150 social homes planned for Hastings suburb

'Flaxmere's time': 150 social homes planned for Hastings suburb

16 May 03:01 AM
Premium
Cancer test delayed for over a year — now his business is gone

Cancer test delayed for over a year — now his business is gone

15 May 06:19 PM
'I'll just carry on': 94-year-old's inspiring marathon journey

'I'll just carry on': 94-year-old's inspiring marathon journey

15 May 06:00 PM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP